Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session on Tuesday with more intensity to move him forward in his rehab, according to manager Joe Espada. Verlander came into spring training behind the team's other pitchers after his right shoulder didn't bounce back properly in the offseason, but he's been throwing low-intensity bullpen sessions in camp, consisting of only fastballs. The Astros haven't ruled the 41-year-old out for the start of the regular season, but it seems more likely than not that he'll open the year on the injured list. Even if Verlander is ready for Opening Day at the end of March, fantasy managers should expect the future Hall of Famer to miss some time at some point in 2024 due to injury. He's a poor bet to stay healthy all year at his age and is no longer the fantasy ace that he once was.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Saturday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Verlander hasn't progressed to facing live batters yet, but he is on track and still figures to be ready for Opening Day. The veteran remains a key piece of Houston's entering his age-41 season, just one year removed from a campaign in which he went 13-8 through 27 starts with the Mets and Astros. He was effective at retiring batters once again last year, tallying 7.98 K/9 and 2.49 BB/9 while posting a 3.85 FIP. Barring any sort of injury setback, Verlander continues to be an appealing fantasy baseball option for 2024.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander's (shoulder) bullpen session went well on Wednesday. "I am encouraged where he's at right now," according to manager Joe Espada. Verlander is behind the other pitchers at spring training after having a setback with his right shoulder during the offseason. The good news, though, is that the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer continues to throw. However, it remains to be seen if he'll need to open the 2024 season on the injured list. It's been amazing to see how well the three-time All-Star has pitched late in his career, but fantasy managers should expect more decline from Verlander this year, as well as more time missed due to injury. But when he's healthy, Verlander still has the ability to be a decent No. 3/4 fantasy starter.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) "walked in today feeling good about how the arm feels" after throwing off a mound on Thursday in spring training. Verlander wasn't going full speed on Thursday, but it's a positive sign regardless as he looks to bounce back after having a setback with his right shoulder this offseason. The 40-year-old is a bit behind the other pitchers and probably isn't going to be ready for the start of Grapefruit League action, but as long as he doesn't have any further setbacks, he could still be ready for Opening Day. The 40-year-old three-time Cy Young winner is an extreme injury risk at this point in his career and is no longer a fantasy ace. He'll even be somewhat risky as a No. 3 starter for fantasy rotations since it would be more of a surprise if he didn't miss time due to injury in 2024.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) said he's a couple weeks behind scheduled and his timetable is to be determined right now. "When I first started playing catch I usually shut it down for a while and this time when I shut it down and picked a ball back up, my shoulder didn't feel so great so I kind of had to take a step back," Verlander said. It's not what you want to hear from a 40-year-old pitcher, although right now it's still not too big of a concern, especially considering that Verlander missed the first five weeks of the 2023 season before going 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 144 strikeouts during the regular season. We'll keep a close eye on the three-time Cy Young winner this spring. Even if he's ready to go by Opening Day, fantasy managers must come to grips with the fact that Verlander is an increased health risk at his age.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander will get the nod for the Astros in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series in Texas on Friday against the Rangers. Verlander took the loss in Game 1 of the series, but the 40-year-old did enough to win, giving up just two earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out five in 6 2/3 innings. Verlander has given up just two earned runs with five walks and 11 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings in his two postseason starts this year. Despite his age, the future Hall of Famer hasn't really slowed down, as he went 13-8 in the regular season with the Astros and New York Mets with a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings covering his 27 starts.

Unsurprisingly, Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander will get the nod for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday in Houston against the division-rival Texas Rangers. Verlander tossed six shutout innings to beat the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS while walking three and striking out six. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer went 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings over 27 starts for the New York Mets and Astros in the regular season. In his only start against Texas on Sept. 6, Verlander picked up a win by allowing two runs (one earned) while walking one and striking out six in seven innings. It's hard to bet against Verlander's track record, but the Rangers have the hottest offense in baseball right now.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander will get the ball for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday at home against the Minnesota Twins. Left-hander Framber Valdez has been tabbed for Game 2 on Sunday. Verlander began the year with the New York Mets before being traded back to the Astros at the deadline. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer went 7-3 with Houston with a 3.31 ERA (3.92 FIP), 1.12 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 68 innings over his 11 starts with the 'Stros down the stretch. In his final six regular season starts, he posted a 3.69 ERA while allowing 17 runs (16 earned) on 33 hits (seven homers) while walking seven and fanning 34 in 39 innings. Verlander did not face the Twins at all in 2023.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander rose to the occasion in Monday's 5-1 win over the Mariners. The 40-year-old veteran pitched eight innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Verlander is now 12-8 with a 3.32 ERA and 7.95 K/9 rate in 26 starts. He has not been quite as dominant this season as he has throughout his career, but he showed his grit in an important division matchup. Fantasy managers are currently slated to get one more start from Verlander at the Diamondbacks, but should pay attention to potential rotation shuffling as the week progresses.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said that right-hander Justin Verlander will make his 2023 debut with the Astros on Saturday against the New York Yankees. Verlander is returning to the Astros after Houston acquired him from the New York Mets at Tuesday's trade deadline for two of the team's top-five prospects. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer won two American League Cy Young awards with Houston in the last three years and will look to help them overtake the Texas Rangers for the division lead down the stretch. Verlander wasn't 100% healthy earlier this year with the Mets, but he is now and has been more of a dominant ace of late. In his last seven starts, Verlander has a 1.49 ERA, has allowed just one home run and struck out 37 hitters in 42 1/3 innings. Start him this weekend against the Yankees.

The New York Mets have a deal in place to send pitcher Justin Verlander back to the Houston Astros. The Mets are receiving Astros top prospect Drew Gilbert as part of the swap. Of course, the future Hall of Famer enjoyed some of his best seasons with the Astros, including the 2022 season in which he was an All-Star, won his third career AL Cy Young Award, and won his second World Series as a member of the Astros. Verlander struggled early this season after beginning the campaign on the injured list but has been excellent of late, allowing just seven earned runs over his last seven starts spanning 42 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander owns a 3.15 ERA on the season across 16 starts but has also seen his strikeout rate dip to just 21%, his lowest mark since the 2014 season.

The Baltimore Orioles are among the teams actively pursuing a trade for New York Mets right-hander Justin Verlander on deadline day on Tuesday, according to a source. The Orioles are engaged on pitching with multiple sellers, including the Detroit Tigers, who are going to part with both left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and right-hander Michael Lorenzen. Verlander has a full no-trade clause, so he is going to determine his destination if he's dealt. The Houston Astros are viewed as the heavy favorites for a reunion, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are also apparently in the mix. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer has been excellent in his last seven starts and hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any start in that span.

The Houston Astros are the heavy favorites to land New York Mets right-hander Justin Verlander if he's traded by the deadline on Tuesday. The Astros appear motivated to reunite with Verlander after he signed with the Mets in free agency last winter. The Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have also been linked to Verlander, but he will be deciding where he goes if he's traded due to a full no-trade clause. The 40-year-old has plenty of familiarity with the 'Stros, having spent four full seasons with them from 2018-2022. Verlander got off to a shaky start with the Mets due to an injury, but he's turned things on of late and is looking more like the dominant ace he's been for the vast majority of his illustrious career.

The New York Mets are not deep in talks with any team about right-hander Justin Verlander with just over 30 hours to go before Tuesday's trade deadline. However, they are still listening despite trading Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers on Saturday. One of the primary road blocks to a deal is Verlander's vesting option for 2025, according to multiple MLB team executives involved in discussions. The Mets have had talks with three or four teams, although none have progressed anywhere near an agreement on the players. The Dodgers and Astros are among the teams interested. In order to pay down his salary, the Mets are seeking significant prospect value, more than they received in the Scherzer deal. The 40-year-old won his third straight start, and 250th of his career, on Sunday and is 4-1 with a 1.49 ERA in his last seven starts.

The New York Mets are receiving strong interest from multiple teams regarding right-hander Justin Verlander, according to sources. The Mets would like to keep Verlander for next season, but there's belief from other MLB executives that the Mets might end up with an offer they can't refuse by Tuesday's trade deadline. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are involved. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer would give any contending team a boost to their starting rotation. The two-time Cy Young winner and MVP started off slow in 2023 in his first year with the Mets, but he's been looking more like his dominant self in the second half. Overall, Verlander is 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA (3.93 FIP), 1.15 WHIP, 30 walks and 76 strikeouts in 89 innings over his 15 starts.

There is a belief within the industry that the New York Mets could move three-time American League Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in the coming days, according to two major-league executives. The Mets enter the weekend trailing the Reds by seven games for the final wild-card spot in the National League. Verlander is in the first year of a two-year, $86.666 million deal that also includes a conditional $35 million player option for 2025. He has a full no-trade clause. The front-runners would likely be the Texas Rangers, according to one source. They also pursued Verlander last winter, but he had no interest in joining the team, but that may have changed now that they are in first place in the AL West. The 40-year-old was injured early on and struggled, but he's gone 3-1 with a 1.46 ERA in six starts since June 26. The Houston Astros are believed to be interested, too.

The San Francisco Giants are among the teams evaluating New York Mets right-hander Justin Verlander as a trade-deadline candidate if he's willing to waive his no-trade clause, according to sources. In his first year in the Big Apple, Verlander has a 3.47 ERA (3.98 FIP), 1.16 WHIP, 26 walks and 70 strikeouts in 83 innings over 14 starts, but he has only four wins for a Mets team that is looking like sellers this summer. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer is having his best month of the season in July, going 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA, .165 batting average against, 11 walks and 21 strikeouts in 26 innings over four starts. Verlander's fantasy value wouldn't change all that much with a move to the Giants, but he'd be in a better pitcher's park and an easier division.

New York Mets starting pitcher Justin Verlander authored one of his brightest performances of the year on Wednesday. The 40-year-old fired a season-high eight innings, permitting one run on three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts for his fourth win of the season. Verlander was cruising along in this one before hitting a bump via a sixth-inning Luis Robert Jr. moonshot. After wildly lending a season-worst six free passes in his last time out, Verlander sharpened up on that with one walk allowed on Wednesday. The future Hall-of-Famer is starting roll a bit after a sluggish start, assembling a 1.74 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 26 punchouts across 31 innings pitched in his last five starts. Verlander is slated to do battle with the New York Yankees on Tuesday. Since 2016, the right-hander has logged seven straight quality starts (47 1/3 IP) against the Yankees, posting a 1.90 ERA with 48 strikeouts over this stretch.

New York Mets starting pitcher Justin Verlander tossed six innings of two-run ball in Friday's 7-5 win over the San Diego Padres. The 40-year-old struck out two batters, permitting five hits and three walks for a no-decision. It looked like it could have been a long night for Verlander early in this one after sacrificing two runs (one earned) in the opening frame, but found a groove after allowing another run during the second inning. The right-hander would manage four more scoreless frames before his night concluded with 98 pitches. It brings to a close a rocky first half for the 2022 AL Cy Young award winner. Though, Verlander finally looks to be rounding into form after a spending the first month of the campaign on the shelf. The future Hall-of-Famer is pitching to a sharp 2.03 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 24:6 K:BB over his last five starts (31 innings pitched). Verlander figures to be a decent second-half rebound candidate with a modest 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP overall (70 IP). A tall task tentatively awaits the veteran coming out of the All-Star break next weekend versus the slugging Los Angeles Dodgers lineup.

New York Mets starting pitcher Justin Verlander turned in a decent start in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Mets. Verlander threw 100 pitches over five scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks with five strikeouts. The 40-year-old has not provided the output fantasy managers had expected and is now 2-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 7.74 K/9 rate in 10 starts. He hasn't been bad overall but has been disappointing by his standards. Verlander will look to put together another good showing in his next start in a tough matchup against the Giants.